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Talking To...Clare Teal

Peter: Yes, you can tell that can't you in his programme the way he talks about it.

Clare: Yes, he listens at home and we've been doing gigs together.

Peter: Can you tell me about any particular highlights in your career? I'm thinking may be Liza Minnelli, supporting her would that be one?

Clare: Yeh, that was one that, and making a pork pie from scratch. There's lots of different things really, I worked with the BBC Big Band. The first big band I ever worked with was John Dankworth, that was a huge highlight for me, he was such an incredible man and Cleo Laine, of course, they were really kind to the young jazzers coming through, it gave them opportunity and gave them encouragement and support. I did the Proms in the Park with the BBC Big Band, that was in front of 47,000 people and as much as they hadn't come to see me, it was an amazing experience. Working with orchestras, the first orchestra was the BBC Concert Orchestra, that was exciting and last year, we just had such a fun filled year, I did lots of festivals like Glastonbury again, very muddy. And out of the blue being asked to open for Liza Minnelli at Kenwood House was incredible, it really was.

Peter: Well that must have been, were you a fan of Judy Garland?

Clare: Huge, yes and I think that's the closest thing, I mean we assume that she is a lot older that she actually is because of the people she hung out with because she hung out with her mum's friends you know but she's only 65 I believe. And then after that I was at the Royal Albert Hall with John Wilson and his orchestra for the Proms and that was a dream come true, it really was.

Peter: You can see that on You Tube.

Clare: Yes, you can or round my house every other week !

Peter: So, obviously you do your radio work as well. How do you combine the two, it's obviously quite busy doing the radio work I imagine?

Clare: I'm very lucky, the team I work with for Radio 2, they know my schedule, which changes all the time, and they fit around it which is amazing. I'm lucky in the way that those two things support each other and I do a bit of writing for the Yorkshire Post which I do enjoy.

Peter: Do you get to choose the records for the radio shows yourself?

Clare: I can do. There's a lot of them, I work with 2 producers who have very similar big band tastes to me and so they get sent all the latest releases as well which helps.

Peter: What I find, I've done a little bit of radio work and what I find exciting is being able to choose the music and play it for other people.

Clare: It's being able to comment on records that you love and the letters that we get, the e-mails, from people who listen to the show, these are moments in people's lives and we have a lot of older listeners who are writing in saying I met my wife, I met my husband, to that record. I mean, they are absolute signposts in people's lives and then a lot of people who are my age or who are younger who are coming to meet it for the first time with fresh ears and just learning all about it.

Peter: Are you recording a new album at any time?

Clare: Well we will be. This is the stage where we start thinking about what we are going to do next.

Peter: What sort of music is that going to be? What songs are you going to choose?

Clare: Well, the last record we did Hey Ho was a celebration of the great British Songbook so that was a themed record which we'd never actually done before. There's loads, I mean my goodness, there is so much material to choose from and there's lots of stuff that we recorded that didn't get on to the record. So I think may be revisit that at some point. I don't know if it will be the next one but I write with Muddy as well, we didn't get much opportunity to write for the last record as we've just been very busy, so we are hoping to put some time aside and get some more originals together.

Peter: It's a very eclectic choice of songs.

Clare: Oh always is, always is. It's 120 odd years of pop music basically.

Peter: Yes, you've got a range of say, Noel Coward and Ivor Novello through to Snow Patrol and The Zombies and Moloko.

Clare: That's right.

Peter: I'm particularly interested in The Zombies actually, because Odyssey and Oracle is one of my favourite albums.

Clare: And mine, along with Pet Sounds.

Peter: Well it's funny you should say that because I was going to say to you that along with Pet Sounds, Revolver, Forever Changes by Love, Odyssey and Oracle is one of my favourite albums of the 60s.

Clare: It was a very very special time and they were all kind of inspired by each other. The Beatles and The Beach Boys, if they hadn't had such fierce competition ,you know,Sergeant Pepper and Pet Sounds would not have happened. It might sound strange for a jazz singer but I love Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations, which was supposed to be on Pet Sounds , is probably my all time favourite record. But Odyssey and Oracle I've always really liked and I love Care of Cell 44 just because it was, well, it was just so off the wall, you know, and imagine my surprise when Rod Argent walked into our record launch and thankfully he loves the version.

Peter: I love The Zombies too.

Clare: Have you heard their new record?

Peter: No.

Clare: Ah, my goodness it's brilliant.

Peter: And I think Colin Blunstone's voice is amazing on things like, Say You Don't Mind and I Don't Believe in Miracles and stuff like that. I thought it must be one of your favourites having put that song on the album but have you heard Elliot Smith's version of it as well?

Clare: No, but I like Elliot Smith.

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